Chrissy Metz Says This Is Us Fans Have Kate All Wrong

Chrissy Metz has to pause for a few seconds to process the question: What would you change about Kate Pearson inThis Is Us?

A few promising "ums" and one "hmm ... goodness!" later, it really seems as though the actress is about to list off a few suggestions. Maybe she'd rather have Kate be good at acting rather than singing or a cat person (sorry, Audio). But after a bit more reflection, nothing comes to mind.

"It's so hard to say if you'd change anything because I think everything is important to the character's journey," the 38-year-old actress begins. "And the writers have done such an amazing job with her not being one dimensional ... I don't think I would change anything, now that I'm thinking about it."

It's not surprising that this is Chrissy's answer. After all, scoring the role meant that Chrissy could pay her bills (she had 81 cents in her bank account when she booked This Is Us). Moreover, the character has led to multiple Golden Globes, Emmys, and Screen Actors Guild Awards for her and the rest of the cast. So, it's not a stretch to say that Kate literally changed her life.

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But that's not why Chrissy loves every little thing about her character so much. For her, it's that the Pearson sister allows people who are "plus-size, unconventional, or not what we've seen for the past 50 years on television" to be able to feel visible.

"Everybody’s story is valuable, whether you’re plus-size or older or wherever you come from. The story of what you’re going through is important to tell," Chrissy says. "Aside from Melissa McCarthy and Rebel Wilson ... you don't really see them [plus-size women]. And if you do see them, you don't see why this particular character is going through the issues or what she's holding onto that's not serving her."

Of course, playing Kate is not always a breeze. Chrissy knows she has a lot resting on her shoulders, as she and the writers work hard to replicate the nuances of reality in every episode. Still, her biggest challenge actually doesn't have anything to do with what's in the script ... rather, it's about what's not.

As she explains it, Chrissy's first love has always been comedy — an art that her co-star Chris Sullivan gets to practice plenty while portraying Kate's low-key hilarious husband, Toby. And so, while Chrissy says working with Chris is "a joy that I don't think I'll ever have again," it's not always easy playing opposite him.

"I thought I was going to be on SNL. I thought I was going to be the comedy girl," Chrissy reveals. "I really value the work, [but] it’s really difficult playing the straight guy to Chris, because Chris is so funny. And every once in a while Kate has her funnier, sillier moments, but they’re very few and far between."

In front of the cameras, Chrissy might be without jokes. But rest assured, there is plenty of funny business happening when the cameras aren't rolling. As Chrissy explains, besides Chris, there's Justin Hartley, who is about as quick-witted as they come. And then there's Jon Huertas, the jokester extraordinaire always cracking people up. And when all three of them are together? Forget about it.

"I’m just cackling all day at anything and everything," she giggles.

Perhaps it's this kind of light-hearted humor that This Is Us fans crave from her character as well — especially after that not-so-funny episode in season 3. You know, the one where Kate sells off Toby's entire Star Warsaction figure collection to make way for their baby? Yeah, Chrissy sees the tweets. She knows that the entire This Is Us universe flipped out on Kate. But here's the thing: She doesn't agree that Kate's self-centered. She does, however, think Kate and Toby need to communicate better.

"I think that she is misunderstood. I don’t think Toby and her communicated how deeply in love he was with these Star Wars characters," Chrissy says. "You can talk with writers and they might go, ‘No, she’s selfish!’ But I think that in any relationship, proper and thorough communication is essential."

Chrissy's reasoning behind that particularly polarizing scene echoes much of what Kate tells the college kid when she's trying to get them back in the episode.

"I don’t think fans are thinking, ‘Oh this poor girl who lost not only her childhood home and everything that she owns, but also her father. And so ‘things’ – toys, figurines – aren’t going to make her happy. So she’s like, ‘I don’t understand how that can happen,'" she explains.

"There’s a whole picture that people aren’t necessarily looking at as each character and, of course, as a couple."

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While the This Is Us audience and Chrissy might interpret Kate's actions differently, the actress still welcomes any and all fan feedback. She tries her very best to keep up with This Is Us Twitter, Reddit, and more when she's not busy shooting. The same is true for fans she meets on the fly — like the time someone chased her up a mall escalator while she was shopping with her friend:

"A woman comes up to me and goes, 'Oh my gosh! I told my sister, I'm on the phone with my sister! This is my sister! Can you say hi to my sister?!' ... [Laughs] and she goes, 'I just love you,' and she's following me up the escalator, and I was like okay this is dangerous. And I was like, 'Oh, thank you so much,' and we took a picture, and then we left. Not three days later, I'm at the airport, I go through TSA, I'm putting my shoes on, and the woman's sister was like, 'Oh my god! You just saw my sister a couple days ago! I can't believe I'm meeting you.'"

Serendipitous, indeed.

Besides scrolling through tweets or taking selfies with fans in public, Chrissy also appreciates all the wonderfully odd (and sometimes spot-on) fan theories the internet has to offer — even the ones that suggest doom in Kate's future.

"I think everybody can have great theories and ideas because things change so often … they [the writers] can take you on all sorts of wild goose chases," Chrissy says. "I think anything is possible [with Kate's future], but also his ring could be ... maybe he just took a shower, and he takes his ring off when he showers. Maybe Kate is just in the kitchen. It could be anything, anything at all."

We don't know what the missing wedding ring is all about just yet, but we do know that Kate's baby is here, and appears to be doing fine for the time being. But, in true This Is Us fashion, Chrissy said something "devastating" is going to happen to Kate down the road.

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She echoed this sentiment to us, hinting that Toby might soon have to endure some dark days — be it his depression, their marital issues, or something else. Of course, Chrissy is stern about not giving away too many details ("you don't want to open up your present before Christmas" as she says). Nevertheless, she hopes that season 4 will show a new side of Kate and Toby that the audience hasn't been exposed to yet.

"We’ve seen a lot at the surface with stuff, and things start to get a little more serious and they realize that it’s not all fun and games," Chrissy says. "We can’t protect ourselves with humor and sarcasm. We have to really get to the bones of what’s going on with them as individuals and then, of course, as a couple."

The ominous undertone of her comment can't be ignored, but neither can the much-more uplifting fact that Chrissy wishes to see more of Kate outside of her marriage with Toby. Think less wife Kate and more aunt Kate.

"I'd love to look more into Tess and Kate's relationship. That would be a really cool relationship to see, really blossom. Like, why did Tess feel so compelled and trusting of Kate? And then as she [Tess] grows older," Chrissy declares.

Whatever plot lines are in the cards for Kate — triumphs, tragedy, or a realistic mix of both – Chrissy will never forget where playing Kate has brought her: to a place where she can laugh behind cameras, debate the complexities of her character's story, and, most importantly, make a lasting impact on viewers' lives by attempting to show their truth.

Change Kate? Not in a million years.

Kayla KeeganNews EditorKayla Keegan is the news editor at GoodHousekeeping.com who covers all things in the entertainment, pop culture, and celebrity space.

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